Man with weed whacker found after report prompts lockdowns

November 15, 2018

CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) — Three schools in Cedar City were put on lockdown after a driver reported seeing a man carrying an assault rifle in the area, but responding police quickly found a man fitting the description but carrying a weed whacker.

The Spectrum reports that the man was doing yard work at townhomes when the incident occurred Wednesday and that the lockdowns at Canyon View High, Canyon View Middle and Fiddler’s Canyon Elementary lasted about 30 minutes.

The intersection where the driver reported seeing a balding white man in his 40s with a rifle is within a half-mile 0.5 mile (0.8 kilometer) of all three schools.

Iron County School District Superintendent Shannon Delaney said school personnel are more cautionary and alert because of school shootings and mass shootings around the country.